Effects of regional citrate anticoagulation on thrombin generation, fibrinolysis and platelet function in critically ill patients receiving continuous renal replacement therapy for acute kidney injury: a prospective study

Background: Regional citrate anticoagulation (RCA) is recommended for continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT). However, filter life varies and premature filter clotting can occur. The aims of this explorative prospective study were to investigate the effects of RCA on thrombin generation, fibrinolysis and platelet function in critically ill patients receiving CRRT, to compare clotting parameters between systemic and intra-circuit blood samples, and to screen participants for coagulation disorders. We recruited critically ill adult patients admitted to a 30-bedded Intensive care unit in a tertiary care hospital who required CRRT with RCA for acute kidney injury (AKI). Patients with pre-existing thrombotic, bleeding tendencies or a CRRT duration less than 48 h were excluded. We measured coagulation and thrombophilia parameters at baseline. Thrombin generation, D-dimer and platelet function were measured pre-CRRT and at 12, 24, 36, 48 and 72 h after commencing CRRT using blood samples taken from the arterial line and the circuit. Results: At baseline, all eleven patients (mean age 62.4 years, 82% male) had Factor VIII and von Willebrand Factor concentrations above reference range and significantly increased peak thrombin generation. During CRRT, there were no significant changes in systemic maximum peak thrombin generation, time to peak thrombin generation, fibrinogen, D-dimer and platelet function analysis. We observed no significant difference between paired samples taken from the patient's arterial line and the circuit. Conclusions: Critically ill patients with AKI requiring CRRT are hypercoagulable. Citrate used for anticoagulation during CRRT does not affect thrombin generation, D-dimer or platelet function. Systemic clotting parameters reflect intra-circuit results. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02486614. Registered 01 July 2015—Registered after recruitment of first patient. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT0248661

Designing Artificial Two-Dimensional Landscapes via Room-Temperature Atomic-Layer Substitution

Manipulating materials with atomic-scale precision is essential for the development of next-generation material design toolbox. Tremendous efforts have been made to advance the compositional, structural, and spatial accuracy of material deposition and patterning. The family of 2D materials provides an ideal platform to realize atomic-level material architectures. The wide and rich physics of these materials have led to fabrication of heterostructures, superlattices, and twisted structures with breakthrough discoveries and applications. Here, we report a novel atomic-scale material design tool that selectively breaks and forms chemical bonds of 2D materials at room temperature, called atomic-layer substitution (ALS), through which we can substitute the top layer chalcogen atoms within the 3-atom-thick transition-metal dichalcogenides using arbitrary patterns. Flipping the layer via transfer allows us to perform the same procedure on the other side, yielding programmable in-plane multi-heterostructures with different out-of-plane crystal symmetry and electric polarization. First-principle calculations elucidate how the ALS process is overall exothermic in energy and only has a small reaction barrier, facilitating the reaction to occur at room temperature. Optical characterizations confirm the fidelity of this design approach, while TEM shows the direct evidence of Janus structure and suggests the atomic transition at the interface of designed heterostructure. Finally, transport and Kelvin probe measurements on MoXY (X,Y=S,Se; X and Y corresponding to the bottom and top layers) lateral multi-heterostructures reveal the surface potential and dipole orientation of each region, and the barrier height between them. Our approach for designing artificial 2D landscape down to a single layer of atoms can lead to unique electronic, photonic and mechanical properties previously not found in nature

Cellules solaires à jonction radiale à base de nanofils de silicium avec absorbeur en μc-Si˸H pour dispositifs tandem

In this thesis, we have fabricated silicon nanowire (SiNW) radial junction solar cells with hydrogenated microcrystalline silicon (μc-Si:H) as the absorber via low-temperature plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). To control the density of NW on the substrates, we have used commercially available tin dioxide (SnO₂) nanoparticles (NPs) with an average diameter of 55 nm as the precursor of Sn catalyst for the growth of SiNWs. The distribution of SnO₂ NPs on the substrate has been controlled by centrifugation and the dilution of the SnO₂ colloid, combined with the functionalization of the substrate. Subsequently, SnO₂ is reduced to metallic Sn after the H₂ plasma treatment, followed by the plasma-assisted vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) growth of SiNWs upon which the P, I and N layers constituting the radial junction solar cells are deposited. We have achieved a high yield growth of SiNWs up to 70% with a very wide range of NW density, from 10⁶ to 10⁹ /cm². As an additional approach of controlling the density of SiNWs we have used evaporated Sn as the precursor of Sn catalyst. We have studied the effect of the thickness of evaporated Sn, the effect of duration of H₂ plasma treatment and the effect of H₂ gas flow rate in the plasma, on the density of SiNWs.In-situ spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) was used for monitoring the growth of SiNWs and the deposition of the layers of μc-Si:H on SiNWs. Combining in-situ SE and SEM results, a relationship between the intensity of SE signal and the length and the density of SiNWs during the growth was demonstrated, which allows to estimate the density and the length of SiNWs during the growth. We have carried out a systematic study of materials (intrinsic, p-type,n-type µc-Si:H and µcSiOx:H doped layers) and solar cells obtained in two plasma reactors named “PLASFIL” and “ARCAM”. The thicknesses of coating on the flat substrate and on the SiNWs have been determined with a linear relation which helps to design a conformal coating on SiNWs for each layer with an optimal thickness. The parameters of the SiNWs and the materials, affecting the performance of radial junction solar cells, have been systematically studied, the main ones being the length and the density of SiNWs, the thickness of intrinsic layer of μc-Si:H on SiNWs, the use of the hydrogenated microcrystalline silicon oxide (μc-SiOx:H) and the back reflector Ag. Finally, with the optimized silicon nanowire radial junction solar cells using the μc-Si:H as the absorber we have achieved an energy conversion efficiency of 4.13 % with Voc = 0.41 V, Jsc = 14.4 mA/cm² and FF = 69.7%. This performance is more than 40 % better than the previous published record efficiency of 2.9 %.Dans cette thèse, nous avons fabriqué des cellules solaires à jonction radiale en nanofils de silicium avec du silicium microcristallin hydrogéné (µc-Si:H) comme absorbeur, par dépôt chimique en phase vapeur assisté par plasma à basse température (PECVD). Pour contrôler la densité de nanofils sur les substrats, nous avons utilisé des nanoparticules (NP) de dioxyde d'étain (SnO₂) d'un diamètre moyen de 55 nm, disponibles dans le commerce, comme précurseur du catalyseur Sn pour la croissance des nanofils de silicium. La distribution des nanoparticules de SnO₂ sur le substrat a été contrôlée par centrifugation et dilution du colloïde de SnO₂, en combinaison avec la fonctionnalisation du substrat. Par la suite, le SnO₂ est réduit en Sn métallique après le traitement par plasma de H₂, suivi de la croissance, par la technique vapeur-liquide-solide (VLS) assistée par plasma, de nanofils de Si sur lesquels sont déposées les couches P, I et N constituant les cellules solaires à jonction radiale. Nous avons atteint un taux de croissance élevé des nanofils de Si, jusqu'à 70%, avec une très large gamme de densité, de 10⁶ à 10⁹ /cm². Comme approche supplémentaire de contrôle de la densité des nanofils, nous avons utilisé du Sn évaporé comme précurseur du catalyseur Sn. Nous avons étudié l'effet de l'épaisseur de Sn évaporé, l'effet de la durée du traitement au plasma de H₂ et l'effet du débit de gaz H₂ dans le dans le mélange de précurseurs, sur la densité des nanofils. L'ellipsométrie spectroscopique in-situ (SE) a été utilisée pour contrôler la croissance des nanofils et le dépôt des couches de µc-Si:H sur les SiNWs. En combinant les résultats de in-situ SE et de microscopie électronique à balayage, une relation entre l'intensité du signal de SE pendant la croissance et la longueur et la densité des nanofils a été démontrée, ce qui permet d'estimer ces paramètres en cours de croissance. Nous avons réalisé une étude systématique des matériaux (couches intrinsèques et dopées de type n ou p de µc-Si:H, couches dopées d'oxyde de silicium microcristallin hydrogéné, µcSiOx:H) et des cellules solaires obtenues dans deux réacteurs à plasma appelés "PLASFIL" et "ARCAM". Les épaisseurs de revêtement sur substrat lisse et sur les nanofils ont été déterminées et nous avons obtenu une relation linéaire entre les deux, ce qui permet de concevoir un revêtement conforme sur les nanofils pour chaque couche avec une épaisseur optimale. Les paramètres des nanofils et des matériaux, affectant la performance des cellules solaires à jonction radiale, ont été systématiquement étudiés, les principaux étant la longueur et la densité des nanofils, l'épaisseur de la couche intrinsèque de µc-Si:H, l'utilisation de µc-SiOx:H et le réflecteur arrière en Ag. Enfin, avec les cellules solaires à jonction radiale en nanofils de silicium optimisées utilisant le µc-Si:H comme absorbeur, nous avons atteint un rendement de conversion de l'énergie de 4,13 % avec Voc = 0,41 V, Jsc = 14,4 mA/cm² et FF = 69,7%. Cette performance est supérieure de plus de 40 % à l'efficacité record de 2,9 % publiée précédemment

Shear Strength Measurements in LY-12 Aluminium Alloy During Shock Loading

Lateral stress of LY-12 alummium alloy under plate impact shock loading was measured. Based on the measured data, the Hugoniot relation and shear strength were obtained. The result has demonstrated that the shear strenath of the tested material increases remarkably with the increasing longitudinal stress. This means that the assumption of constant shear strength usually adopted in shock stress calculation is not suitable for the present material

Plasma emission correction in reflectivity spectroscopy during sputtering deposition

International audienceSurface differential reflectivity spectroscopy is a fast non-destructive in situ and real-time measurement technique which allows following the first stages of thin film deposition. However, when applied to sputtering technique, spectra can strongly be distorted by residual light coming from plasma in a way, as shown herein, that depends on sample reflectivity. Thanks to suitable measurements, before and after growth with and without plasma or illumination lights, a protocol of signal correction is proposed to get rid of the spurious plasma contribution. The interest of the method is illustrated in the case of silver deposition on a silicon substrate

Electrical scanning probe microscopy approaches to investigate solar cell junctions and devices

International audienceC-AFM and KPFM techniques have been applied to investigate advanced junctions that are currently involved in highly efficient silicon solar cells. Our first study focuses on silicon heterojunctions and notably hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H)/crystalline silicon (c-Si) P/n or N/p heterostructures which band bending at the interface forms a 2D channel. This conductive channel was indeed evidenced for the first time by cross-sectional investigations by C-AFM confirming the analysis of macroscopic planar conductance measurements. A second example of nanoscale characterization concerns the passivating selective contacts consisting in a thin silicon oxide (SiOx) layer between the c-Si and a highly doped polysilicon (poly-Si) layer. The electrical carrier transport is here not limited by the oxide layer and it is assumed that tunnelling through the oxide and/or the presence of pinholes are the main competitive mechanisms. For this specific heterostructure KPFM reveals local surface potential drops of 15-30 mV, which do not exist on samples without SiOx. These potential drops suggest the presence of pinholes that are formed during the poly-Si annealing process performed in the range of 700-900 °C. Finally, in a third study, we concentrate on p-in radial junction (RJ) silicon nanowire (SiNW) devices that are investigated under illumination by KPFM, in the so-called surface photovoltage (SPV) technique. This work focuses on the possibility of extracting the open-circuit voltage (VOC) on single isolated SiNW RJ by local SPV measurements using different AFM tip shapes and illumination directions in order to minimize shadowing effects

Silicon Nanowire Solar Cells with μc‐Si:H Absorbers for Radial Junction Devices

International audienc

A modified form of low-density lipoprotein with increased electronegative charge is present in rheumatoid arthritis synovial fluid

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are pro-inflammatory factors in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis. During inflammation, the amount of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) in the inflamed joint is increased. LDL is known to be susceptible to oxidation by ROS. Oxidized LDL may serve as a mediator for joint damage, further exacerbating the inflammatory process. LDL isolated from synovial fluid and plasma from individual patients (paired samples) with rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis was characterized by crossed immunoelectrophoresis. On analysis by this technique, synovial fluid LDL from most patients with rheumatoid arthritis contained two peaks: one corresponding to normal plasma native LDL, and the other having an increased electrophoretic mobility associated with oxidized LDL. Paired plasma LDL samples contained native LDL alone, as did paired synovial fluid and plasma LDL from patients with osteoarthritis. Thus, in addition to native LDL, a second form of LDL was shown to be present in rheumatoid synovial fluid, which had properties consistent with those of oxidized LDL